Dear MCH Leaders,
I hope you and your family are well and prospering during this time of transition to our nation’s “new normal” of teleworking and social distancing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus has quickly changed the way we do business, interact with each other, engage with our families, and has introduced an amount of uncertainty into our lives in a way that we have not seen in recent memory. In the midst of it all, however, I am thankful for so many things, including being reminded of the things that are truly important in life and being surrounded by people like you whose tireless efforts and professionalism will help us all to come out on the other end of this situation much stronger.
My prayers are with those who have been impacted by this virus and those frontline healthcare professionals who are making unimaginable sacrifices to keep us all safe. A heartfelt thank you for what you’re doing every day in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
AMCHP is committed to working alongside you (our members) and those in the maternal and child health space to GROW through this. We are truly stronger together. There are a number of questions that we are receiving regarding; 1) resources and guidance specific to our MCH population, 2) self-care suggestions for caregivers and families who may feel isolated due to social distancing requirements, 3) potential impact to grant deliverables and 4) Title V reporting implications. We are hoping to help address these questions in the following ways:
LINK TO RESOURCES - We’ve been developing resources to help address these issues, as well as working with our federal agency and organizational partners to gather available information/resources and will be posting them to our website (www.amchp.org/covid-19) for your convenience. The site will be updated regularly as new resources become available.
COVID-19 TOWN HALL SERIES - We (and our federal agency partners) are very interested in talking with you to share information to assist in your planning around COVID-19, as well as to hear about your evolving needs and/or stories from the field. We will be scheduling a regular call for this purpose, which will begin on Thursday, April 2 at 2pET. It will be merged with AMCHP’s regular Monthly Policy call. More info to come. Please use this link to register, if you haven’t already.
Please let us know how we may be of further assistance during this time.
Again, we are so thankful for you and consider it a privilege to work alongside you during this time. Please accept our virtual high-five from DC! We looking forward to working through this with you.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Webb, MPH, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs
AMCHP COVID-19 MCH Town Halls
Center for Disease Control and Prevention Resources
General Information
Children
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Additional Resources
Bereavement Resources from the American Hospice Foundation
Community Resources
Mother, Children and Family Resources
MCH Workforce/Training Resources:
Mental Health Resources:
Relevant Papers / Research on MCH populations and respiratory illnesses:
Li Y, Zhao R, Zheng S, Chen X, Wang J, Sheng X, et al. Lack of vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, China. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Apr. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2606.200287
McMichael, T. M. (2020). COVID-19 in a long-term care facility—King County, Washington, February 27–March 9, 2020. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6912e1.htm
Zhu H, Wang L, Fang C, Peng S, Zhang L, Chang G, Xia S, Zhou W. Clinical analysis of 10 neonates born to mothers with 2019-nCoV pneumonia. Transl Pediatr 2020;9(1):51-60. https://doi.org/10.21037/tp.2020.02.06
Resources in Additional Languages:
Racial Equity Resources for COVID-19 (Focus on Women’s and Infant Health)
Guides and Action
Key Commentaries
- March 19, 2020: Joia Crear-Perry: Black Mamas Can Thrive During Childbirth, COVID-19 Or Not
- March 22, 2020: Nidhi Prakash, Doctors Are Concerned That Black Communities Might Not Be Getting Access To Coronavirus Tests.
- March 25, 2020: Talking about health, housing, and COVID-19: keeping equity at the forefront
- March 27, 2020, Kimberly Seals Allers, “Covid-19 Restrictions on Birth & Breastfeeding: Disproportionately Harming Black and Native Women”
- March 30, 2020, Kirsten West Savali: Where's The Data? We Need To Know How Many Black People Are Dying From COVID-19. Essence
- March 30, 2020: Julia Craven: “How Racial Health Disparities Will Play Out in the Pandemic."
- The Fierce Urgency of Now: Closing Glaring Gaps in US Surveillance Data on COVID-19
- The Harm of a Colorblind Allocation Of Scarce Resources
Undocumented Communities
Webinars and Podcasts
Self-Care Resources
States: Cases, Deaths, Actions and Policy Responses
Telehealth resources
This set of four dynamic Telehealth Fact Sheets developed by AMCHP’s State Public Health Autism Resource Center (SPHARC) serve as a resource to provide need-to-know information, tips, and guidance to those who seek to implement telehealth programs in their states. These resources are great initial tools for local and state providers serving a wide MCH population interested in improving service access and reducing logistical barriers that prevent their patients from receiving necessary and comprehensive care. The fact sheets cover the following four main objectives:
How to Start a Telehealth Program: Thinking about starting a telehealth program? This resource will help guide important questions to consider, highlight example solutions, and other important need to know details. Selecting a Telehealth Provider: This fact sheet highlights guidelines, examples, and key considerations for providers to consider as they work together with parents & caregivers to select the best telehealth provider for their situation. Selecting Telehealth Technology: This fact sheet provides 10 tips to consider when attempting to acquire the most appropriate, up to date telehealth technologies. Telehealth Policy Issues: The process to developing telehealth program can be complex. Make sure to remember these 7 federal and state telehealth policy issues that go beyond reimbursement.
Webinars
Youth and Young Adult